Australia 6–0 England — Final, 2017 Rugby League World Cup

2 Dec 2017 · Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia · Attendance: 40,033Highest-attended match of the tournament

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

2017 Rugby League World Cup ▾

Final, 2017 Rugby League World Cup: Australia 6–0 England, at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia on 2 Dec 2017.

Scoring timeline

14′Australia — try, Cordner · Smith kicked

Tries in order scored, with the conversion kicked/missed alongside each one where our source data lets us match a kicker to that specific try. Sources don't record exact minutes for missed kicks, so misses are matched by elimination (attempts left over once every made kick is accounted for), not sequenced by time. Standalone penalty goals are shown separately below, not attached to a try.

Scorers

AustraliaTries: Cordner 14'
Goals: Smith (1/1) 14'
EnglandNo scorers recorded.

Teams

AustraliaEngland
1Billy SlaterFullbackGareth Widdop1
2Dane GagaiWingJermaine McGillvary2
3Will ChambersCentreKallum Watkins3
4Josh DuganCentreJohn Bateman4
5Valentine HolmesWingRyan Hall5
6Michael MorganStand off/Five eighthKevin Brown6
7Cooper CronkScrum half/Half backLuke Gale7
8Aaron WoodsProp forwardChris Hill8
9Cameron Smith (c)HookerJames Roby9
10David KlemmerProp forwardJames Graham10
11Boyd CordnerSecond rowBen Currie11
12Matt GillettSecond rowElliott Whitehead12
13Josh McGuireLoose forward/Lock forwardSam Burgess (c)16
Substitutes
14Wade GrahamAlex Walmsley14
15Jordan McLeanThomas Burgess15
16Reagan Campbell-GillardChris Heighington17
17Tyson FrizellJonny Lomax18
Mal MeningaCoachWayne Bennett

Match officials

Kick-off20:00 AEDT (UTC+11:00)
RefereeGerard Sutton (Australia)
Touch judgesChris Kendall (England), Chris Butler (Australia)
Player of the matchBoyd Cordner (Australia)

Match report

Australia's only try came in the 14th minute: back-to-back penalties and a goal-line drop-out gave the Kangaroos attacking ball, and Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Michael Morgan combined to put Boyd Cordner over. Cameron Smith's conversion made it 6-0, and the scoreboard never moved again.

England had the better of long stretches of possession and defended heroically, but couldn't find a way through. Their best chance came with around 16 minutes left: Kallum Watkins took an Elliott Whitehead pass and broke clear, only for Josh Dugan to haul him back with a try-saving ankle tap. Early in the second half a Michael Morgan try was ruled out on video review for an obstruction by Cameron Smith in the build-up.

The aggregate six points is the lowest-scoring final in the tournament's history, and Cordner's was the only try scored — equalling the previous record low (one try) set in the 1992 final. Australia's win was their 11th World Cup title and the first won on Australian soil since 1977. It was England's first World Cup final appearance since 1995, coached by Wayne Bennett; captain Sean O'Loughlin missed the match with a quad injury sustained in the semi-final, so Sam Burgess (wearing his tournament number 16) captained the side from lock, with Ben Currie promoted into the starting second row and Jonny Lomax added to the bench.

Previous World Cup meetings

Sources

← 2017 Rugby League World Cup — full match archive

← 2017 Rugby League World Cup